How to change the app icon on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Replacing the standard icons on Xiaomi smartphones is a popular way to personalize the MIUI interface. Many users want to highlight their favorite apps, make the design unique or simply remove the boring standard icons. However, not everyone knows that Xiaomi has several ways to change icons at once, from simple themes to manual editing through ADB.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods for MIUI 14/15 (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark), their pros and cons, and give recommendations on choosing the best option for your model. Importantly, some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights - we will separately note such cases and warn against risks.

1. Replace icons through standard MIUI themes

The easiest and safest way is to use the built-in theme feature in MIUI. This method does not require administrator rights, works on all models (including Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13) and allows you to change icons with packages.

How it works: The Theme Center (Settings → Decoration → Theme) has thousands of free and paid themes, many of which include unique icon sets. The theme application automatically replaces the icons of all supported apps.

• ✅ Pros: no need to install third-party programs, safe for the system, a wide range of designs.
• ❌ Cons: you can not change the icon of only one application, some themes are paid.
• 🔍 Feature: after the update MIUI Themes can be dropped – check compatibility.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the settings → design → Theme.
2. At the bottom of the screen, click Download Themes (cloud icon).
3. In the search box, type a query, such as "minimalism icons" or "dark icons".
4. Select your favorite theme and click Apply.
5. Confirm the replacement in the pop-up window.

⚠️ Attention: Some topics from the Theme Center contain ads or collect data. Check other users' reviews and theme rankings before installing (optimum 4.5).+ star).

2. Use of third-party launchers (Nova, Apex, Hyperion)

If the built-in themes are not enough, you can install an alternative launcher: popular options: Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher or Hyperion Launcher (optimized for Xiaomi).

• 🎨 Install individual icons for each application.
• 📦 Use icon packages from Google Play (e.g. Whicons, CandyCons).
• 🔄 Change the shape, size and shadow of icons.

Example of settings in Nova Launcher:

1. Install Nova Launcher from Google Play.
2. Set it as the default launcher in the system settings (Settings → Applications → By default → Launcher).
3. Long press on the icon → Change → Icon.
4. Select an icon pack or upload your file (.png format, at least 192×192 px resolution).

Important: Launchers consume additional RAM (up to 150-300 MB), on weak models (for example, Redmi 9A), this can cause slowdowns.

3. Manually modifying icons via ADB (for advanced)

This method is suitable for those who are ready to work with Android Debug Bridge (ADB), it allows you to replace the icon of any system or user application, but requires:

• 🔧 Included mode Debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → Press 7 times, then additionally → For developers).
• 🖥️ Computers with installed ADB-Drivers and Platform Tools.
• 📁 Prepared icon file in.png format (size) 192×192 px, transparent background).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm debugging.
2. Open the command line in the folder with platform-tools.
3. Enter the command to back up the original icon: adb pull /data/app/com.example.app-1/base.apk icon_backup.png (Replace com.example.app with an app package, such as com.android.chrome for Chrome).
4. Use APK Editor (on PC) to replace the icon in the base.apk file.
5. Install modified APK: adb install -r modified.apk

USB debugging enabled

Installed ADB-PC-driver

Download APK Editor (e.g. APKTool)

Created a backup copy of the original icon

File of the new icon in format PNG 192×192-->

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing APK-File files can cause an application to crash or a cyclical system reboot. Before experimenting, create a full backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.

4. Applications for changing icons (without root)

If ADB is too complex and launchers are not suitable, you can use specialized programs.

• 📱 Icon Changer – allows you to replace icons one by one, supports shortcuts).
• 🎨 Awesome Icons – More than 10,000 free icons, integration with Nova Launcher.
• 🔄 X Icon Changer is a simple interface, but requires manual selection of images.

How to work with Icon Changer:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Select the icon you want to change.
3. Click Change the icon and select a file from the gallery or icon package.
4. Create a shortcut on the home screen (the original icon will remain in the app menu).

Limitations of methods without root:

• ❌ You can’t change the icon in the app menu – only on the home screen.
• ❌ After updating the application, the icon may be reset.
• ❌ Some apps (like Google Play Services) block icon changes.

5. Replace icons with root rights (Magisk)

If your Xiaomi has an unlocked bootloader and Magisk installed, you can use modules for deep customization.

• 🔧 Xposed Framework + Unicon module (for older versions of Android).
• 📦 Magisk Module "Iconify" - Supports MIUI 14/15.
• 🎨 Substratum Theme Engine – allows you to apply themes at the system level.

Instructions for Iconify:

1. Install Magisk and Iconify module via Magisk Manager.
2. Download the icon package (for example, Fluid Icons) in.zip format.
3. Open Iconify, select a package and apply it.
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Using Magisk may result in loss of warranty and problems with OTA-On some models (Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi) K60) After installation of Magisk, Widevine stops working L1 (no HD Netflix).

💡

Before installing Magisk, check compatibility with your model on the XDA Developers forum.For Xiaomi, there is a special section with firmware and modules.

6. Creating your own icons: requirements and tools

If you want to use unique icons, you need to prepare them according to certain rules:

• 📏 Size: minimum 192×192 px, optimally 512×512 px (for Retina displays).
• 🖼️ Format:.png with transparent background.
• 🎨 Style: Avoid small details – they will be indistinct on screen.

Tools for the creation of:

• 💻 Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop — professionally designed.
• 📱 Canva or Icon Pack Studio – simple editors for a smartphone.
• 🌐 Figma is a free online editor with icon templates.

Example of the process in Icon Pack Studio:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Choose a template or create an icon from scratch.
3. Export to PNG at a resolution of 512×512 px.
4. Use the file in Nova Launcher or Icon Changer.

💡

For icons with the effect of “adaptance” (change color in a dark theme), use the.webp format and the tool Android Asset Studio from Google.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When changing icons, users often face problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

• 🔄 The icon dropped after updating the application: → Use a launcher with icon fixing (e.g. Nova Launcher Prime).
• ❌ Cannot change the system application icon: → System applications are protected. The alternative is to hide the original and create a shortcut with a new icon.
• 🖼️ The new icon is displayed blurry: → Check the file resolution (should be at least) 192×192 px) and format (PNG).
• 📱 Launcher brakes after changing icons: → Clear the launcher cache (Settings) → Annexes → Nova Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the cache).

If after replacing the icons through ADB, the application stopped running, do:

adb uninstall com.example.app


adb install original.apk

(Replace com.example.app with the problem app package)

FAQ: Answers to popular questions